Peak
33
Weeks
15
Score
1,423
Chart Year
1981
"Never Too Much" is the kind of velvety love song Luther Vandross is famous for - he wrote it and produced it himself. In the song, Luther is obsessed with his lover; he can never get too much of this person. It's even affecting his job because he can't concentrate on work. Note that the gender of his love interest is never specified. In the 1970s Luther Vandross had a very successful career as a background singer and advertising jingle vocalist. One of the artists he backed was Roberta Flack, and she encouraged him to start his own career, accusing him of getting "too comfortable" in his career as a backing singer. She believed he was an incredible talent who deserved to be heard. Encouraged, Vandross recorded demos for "Never Too Much" and "Sugar And Spice." In 1980 Vandross became better known as the guest vocalist for the studio group Change with the hit songs "The Glow of Love" and "Searching." Around the same time, he took his solo demos to Larkin Arnold and Jerome Gasper, executives with Epic Records. Vandross immediately got a record deal to write and produce his own albums. "Never Too Much" became his first hit single, topping the R&B charts and two years later charting in the UK at #44. The Never Too Much album went on to sell over 2 million copies. Vandross recorded this in New York City with top-tier session musicians. The lineup: Guitar: Georg Wadenius Bass: Marcus Miller Congas: Bashiri Johnson Drums: Buddy Williams Keyboards: Nat Adderley Jr. Percussion: Crusher Bennett On April 20, 2021, Google put an animated Luther Vandross video of this song on their homepage as the Google Doodle to celebrate what would have been his 70th birthday.
I can't fool myself I don't want nobody else to ever love me You are my shining star, my guiding light, my love fantasy There's not a minute, hour, day or night that I don't love you You're at the top of my list 'cause I'm always thinking of ya I still remember in the days when I was scared to touch you How I spent my day dreamin' plannin' how to say, "I love you" You must have known that I had feelings deep enough to swim in That's when you opened up your heart and you told me to come in Oh my love A thousand kisses from you is never too much I just don't wanna stop Oh my love A million days in your arms is never too much I just don't wanna stop Never too much, never too much Never too much, never too much Woke up today, looked at your picture just to get me started I called you up but you weren't there and I was broken-hearted Hung up the phone, can't be too late, the boss is so demandin' Opened the door up and to my surprise there you were standin' Who needs to go to work to hustle for another dollar? I'd rather be with you 'cause you make my heart scream and holler Love is a gamble and I'm so glad that I am winnin' We've come a long way and yet this is only the beginning Oh my love A thousand kisses from you is never too much (Never too much, never too much, never too much) I just don't wanna stop Oh my love A million days in your arms is never too much (Never too much, never too much, never too much) And I just don't wanna stop Oh my love A thousand kisses from you is never (Never too much, never too much, never too much) Never I just don't wanna stop Oh my love A million days in your arms is never too much
| Week | Chart Date | Position | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Oct 10, 1981 | 85 | 41 |
| 2 | Oct 17, 1981 | 65 | 61 |
| 3 | Oct 24, 1981 | 52 | 74 |
| 4 | Oct 31, 1981 | 46 | 80 |
| 5 | Nov 7, 1981 | 41 | 85 |
| 6 | Nov 14, 1981 | 37 | 89 |
| 7 | Nov 21, 1981 | 35 | 91 |
| 8 | Nov 28, 1981 | 33 | 93 |
| 9 | Dec 5, 1981 | 33 | 93 |
| 10 | Dec 12, 1981 | 43 | 83 |
| 11 | Dec 19, 1981 | 47 | 79 |
| 12 | Dec 26, 1981 | 50 | 76 |
| 13 | Jan 2, 1982 | 50 | 76 |
| 14 | Jan 9, 1982 | 62 | 64 |
| 15 | Jan 16, 1982 | 96 | 30 |